Thinking of switching from my Canon wedding-kit to a smaller non-wedding, still professional kit.

Hi guys,

I'm in a position where I used to shoot a lot more professionally than I do now that I have a new 9-5 job. I did a lot of family portraits, engagements, scattered weddings and pet photography.

Lately I'm just focusing on the occasional portrait and pet photography job on the weekends and I feel I have a little more invested in my gear (and it's a little big) than I probably need to. Also I want to free up $500 to buy the DJI Spark lol.

Here's what I have:
Canon 6D x2 | 17-40L | Sigma 35 ART | 50mm f1.8 STM | 85mm f1.8 | 135L + a whole bunch of Yongnuo speedlites.

Here's what I want:
- A single, more compact body with similar performance to the 6D. I'm not too picky about low-light performance, but I do love the 6D's capability. Auto-focusing ability is important for pet photography.
- A lens for portraits (people and dogs -- quick focusing is pretty important here)
- A wide angle lens for the occasional landscape and travel photography
- Something to replace the Sigma 35mm Art or similar. I love having a 35mm equiv prime lens, but I'm open to having a zoom that covers wide-medium range if the quality is comparable at least.

Thank you for the guidance!

So, you want to sell off a bunch of used equipment and buy virtually the same spec new equipment and pocket some cash?

Minus the flashes, a back up body and the 85.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #18363493
So, you want to sell off a bunch of used equipment and buy virtually the same spec new equipment and pocket some cash?

Minus the flashes, a back up body and the 85.

Yes, pretty much. Well it doesn't have to be new. Though the important thing here is I want a smaller body and fewer lenses. A smaller kit overall. Sorry if I was too vague.

no i'm sorry. work has been bugging the crap out of me and I was being grumpy at lunch. Thankfully they let us out early today!

I just don't see you gaining much ground here. The 85 is pretty dang small losing that won't gain you much ground, and the 6D isn't exactly huge. The 135 is a huge price/performance winner with very little competition even at a much higher price point.

The use YN speedlilghts are probably not going to fetch much $$$.

the sig 35 is again a great lens for the cash, although a bit heavy.

small ff mirrorless cameras are only significantly smaller if you carry one slow lens. If you are looking for fast high quality lenses they are going to be big regardless of the camera body.

you want to replace every lens except the 85, i'm not sure where you find the gains and maintain the quality you want?

The only smaller body you could consider with similar low noise high ISO performance might be a Sony APS-C sensor body...the new FF Sony A9 costs $4500!
Someone on POTN has a Sony A6500 for sale. But I fail to see how you can 'free up' $500!

Wilt wrote in post #18363618
The only smaller body you could consider with similar low noise high ISO performance might be a Sony APS-C sensor body...the new FF Sony A9 costs $4500!

I disagree... also, the a9 is meant to compete with the 1DXii so it's honestly priced very well...

Fuji has a very competent kit for what you're looking for, so does the Micro 4/3 system (though they won't quite keep up with image quality, it'll be close in most conditions) and so does Sony with their a6300 and a6500 (as Wilt Noted).

The problem with Sony is that their APS-C lens lineup is severely lacking. Fuji and M4/3 have a full lineup of excellent lenses to choose from.

I would consider a Fuji X-T2/X-Pro2 or X-T20 and whichever XF lenses suit your FL needs, all of them are great, though some of the older ones are a little slower to AF. The newer 24mp Fuji bodies offer IQ that is just as good if not better than the 6D (I used to shoot with one) in my opinion/experience. Honestly, even the 16mp bodies aren't that far behind.

I don't have any experience with M4/3, but I've read plenty about them and heard plenty of first hand reviews/expereinces and I don't think they should be overlooked.

Before switching fully to Fuji I was shooting with the Sony a7S and though the IQ was great, I wasn't a big fan of the shooting experience with the body (compared to Fuji) or the much more expensive and large lens selection (they're on the right track with the newer 50/1.8, 85/1.8 and 28/2).

The A9 might very well be 'priced very well' against the 1DXII, but the OP is not interested in spending much more than equivalent value to his G6, as his stated goal is to pocket $500 from the switch, "Also I want to free up $500 to buy the DJI Spark lol.". Certainly no thoughts of spending $4500 plus lenses! We should answer questions with responses of relevance to the OP goals. At $3500 the Canon 5DIV is no more relevant to the OP than the even more expensive A9 is.

Wilt wrote in post #18363651
The A9 might very well be 'priced very well' against the 1DXII, but the OP is not interested in spending much more than equivalent value to his G6, as his stated goal is to pocket $500 from the switch, "Also I want to free up $500 to buy the DJI Spark lol.". Certainly no thoughts of spending $4500 plus lenses! We should answer questions with responses of relevance to the OP goals. At $3500 the Canon 5DIV is no more relevant to the OP than the even more expensive A9 is.

I'm failing to see your point since you were the one who brought the a9 into the conversation in the first place.

Obviously the a9 isn't something the OP should be considering, but you stated it as though all of the Sony FF cameras were just as expensive... obviously they're not.

EverydayGetaway wrote in post #18363683
I'm failing to see your point since you were the one who brought the a9 into the conversation in the first place.

The OP wanted FF and a weight savings. Ergo, the mention of A9, ...but also with the immediate disqualification from further consideration of $4500 price.

"you stated it as though all of the Sony FF cameras were just as expensive"... YOUR interpretation, I was not attacking Sony, rather than merely reporting the fact that the A9 was FF but out of consideration.

I did very clearly state, "The only smaller body you could consider with similar low noise high ISO performance might be a Sony APS-C sensor body..." before I mentioned the A9 FF

I moved from the Canon 5d3 to Fuji for many of the reasons you're considering now. My primary subjects of interest are in people, e.g., portraits, street, performance. The Fuji lens selection is impressive. The 23mm f/1.4 would compare favorably to your 35 Art, and either of the 56 f/1.2 lenses (it comes in 2 versions) would be an ideal choice for portraits. The focus peaking feature also allows for the practical use of adapted manual lenses during portrait shoots.

Some people are quick to boast about the the AF advantages of DSLRs over mirrorless, but the latter have some advantages of their own, and AF tracking has improved dramatically enough that I don't plan on going back to a DSLR.

Chex,

The 6D really isn't a very big camera body to begin with.....

The tough thing here is that Canon has a huge selection of lenses and majority of them all focus extremely fast fast. With your 6D you can lock on focus easily with center point, single shot.

The 17-40L still performs really well for landscape and UWA application. Bonus is that it's not expensive. If you really wanted to slightly upgrade even a Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 is a great consideration.

Dumping the 35 ART for a Canon 35 f/2IS would be a down graded in 1 stop of light. However the image quality of the 35 f/2IS is just as good as the Sigma ART. The only difference is that Canon's 35 f/2IS AF accuracy is comforting in being ROCK SOLID!! (Sorry I like native glass usually). 35 f/2IS is also substantially lighter.

Price wise it's hard to beat the Canon 85 f/1.8 or "inexpensive pro lens" Canon 135L. Image quality in those lenses truly makes them gems!

I'm also a fuji shooter and I'd say the X-T2 is a nice camera body for almost universal application. You can do some research on their large lens selection.

Do you need fast AF speed??? The Fujinon 23 f/1.4 would be a nice performing prime lens. The 35 f/1.4 has slow AF and noisy motor (equiv to a 50mm lens on FF). The dreamy Fujinon 56mm f/1.2 is slow to focus compared to a Canon 85 f/1.8 or Sigma 85 ART. Fujinon 60mm f/2.4 macro slow to focus. Fuji's 90mm f/2 is a fast focus lens that is more like the Canon 135L. 10-24 f/4 is a great performer but IQ wise I still feel a 6D with "reasonably priced" 16-35 f/4IS would produce better IQ. Fuji's 16-55 has fast AF and sharp but it's very large for a small fuji body but of course we are all adaptable....

The latest weather sealed f/2 primes (23mm, 35mm, 50mm) all virtually focus fast but less creamy bokeh as f/2 on a crop sensor is not really the same as f/2 on a full frame. If you don't care to loose some bokeh the f/2 is the newer generation faster focusing fuji lenses.

If you use a speedlight in your work you'll find Fuji will gets some missed AF shots in low light situations at a reception or low contrast low light situations if your use to using AF focus assist light from flash. I seldom get no AF confirmation from my 5dmk2 or 5dmk3 compared to my Fuji X-T2.

Rent some camera's and decide from yourself. You will have to decide for yourself if a different system will work for you. So far for my experience is that I cannot let my Canon go for how I shoot. My fuji is "almost" their for me but not for my bounced flash events work.

As you can see your 6D isn't all that bad is it??

You can explore Micro 4/3 systems but if you compare the IQ to your 6d............ You will appreciate your high iso capabilities and image quality from your Canon full frame sensor.

Take whatever info.......until you use the gear for your specific style of shooting you'll never know.

Sell one 6D, the 35A, the 17-40 and a few YN stuff and pick up a 35 f2 IS and 16-35 f4. Done.

Or sell it all and go Xt-2

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #18363794
Sell one 6D, the 35A, the 17-40 and a few YN stuff and pick up a 35 f2 IS and 16-35 f4. Done.

yep, should really just give that a go, unless really itching for mirrorless. That frees up some money, going to another brand can certainly save size and weight, however at a cost of dollars $$$

Charlie wrote in post #18363798
yep, should really just give that a go, unless really itching for mirrorless. That frees up some money, going to another brand can certainly save size and weight, however at a cost of dollars $$$

Hey Charlie does the sony system have a red focus assist light on their speedlights? Does the Sony system lock on focus in a rock solid manner???

Serious question as I'm struggling to ever use Fuji for my events photography work. So far on many occasions my Fuji X-T2 will not lock on focus in dark low light even when using their "flagship" OE Fuji flash. I never ever have this issue with my Canon gear.

As you know I love my Fuji gear but not for the auto focus performance in low light. This is why I've suggested the OP to test gear first before buying. I truly feel the 6D will lock on focus even in crappy light conditions. My Fuji has failed me on many occasions when I'm shooting bounced flash in low light.

OP/Chex, if you have zero tolerance to this milliseconds of stalling before AF you will need to test Fuji to see if it happens in your style of photography.

Chex you should really test out the 35mm f/2IS. That lens is really a sleeper lens. Image quality has great sharp micro contrast like your heavier Sigma 35 ART.